This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Vehicles such as automobiles typically include one or more airbags that work in conjunction with one another and with other safety systems to absorb or otherwise dissipate energy associated with an impact event away from occupants of the vehicle. For example, a vehicle such as an automobile may incorporate one or more front airbags mounted in a steering wheel or instrument panel of the vehicle that absorb energy associated with a front-impact event. Likewise, a vehicle may additionally incorporate a side airbag in a door, pillar and/or seat assembly of the vehicle in an effort to absorb energy associated with a side-impact event.
Vehicles also include seatbelt assemblies that work in conjunction with inflatable restraints such as front airbags and side airbags. In fact, some seatbelt assemblies incorporate an inflatable portion that works in conjunction with the seatbelt assembly to absorb forces associated with an impact event and/or to direct such forces into the structure of the vehicle and away from vehicle occupants.
Seatbelt assemblies that have an integral inflatable portion or an airbag attached to webbing of the seatbelt assembly typically include a shoulder-mounted retractor that selectively allows the webbing to payout from the retractor so that the webbing can be properly positioned relative to a vehicle occupant. Such seatbelt assemblies also include an inflator that provides pressurized gas to the inflatable portion or the airbag and a fill tube that delivers the pressurized gas from the inflator to the inflatable portion or the airbag.
The inflatable portion or the airbag may be packaged within a relatively small area such that, prior to deployment, the appearance and thickness of the seatbelt assemblies are similar to that of a convention seatbelt. As a result, the size of the inflatable portion or the airbag may be limited, for example, by limiting the width of the inflatable portion or the airbag to the width of the webbing. In turn, when the inflatable portion or the airbag is deployed, the cross-sectional area of the inflatable portion or the airbag may also be limited, which may limit the amount of force that the seatbelt assemblies can absorb.
While known seatbelt assemblies having an integral inflatable portion have proven to be generally acceptable for their intended purpose, a continuous need for improvement in the relevant art remains.